Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate.
— William Arthur Ward

Manipulation is not foreign to most of us. We have probably manipulated and been manipulated. Manipulators may or may not be aware of what they’re doing. There may be no malice involved. Often, the only intention is to find the means to continue an addictive behavior. Manipulation, however, can be terrifying if we’re the end receiver. We may also deny that it’s happening, usually because we’re so confused by it all. But when we realize the truth, we’re frightened not only by what’s happened, but also by what could happen. We’ve fallen for this before, what’s to prevent us from falling for it again?

We do our best to detach from the manipulator. This may mean letting go physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. The more distance we have, the easier it is to see the truth, to recognize the manipulation. When we must have contact, we keep our head on straight. We don’t need to answer to anyone right away. As time goes on, we’re better able to identify and to deal appropriately with manipulative behavior.